Kaisei kobayashi

Asian Cricket Council Premier Cup: Kazuma Kato-Stafford has been named as Japan’s captain for the 2026 Men’s Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6.

Nikhil Pol and Timothy Moore, who missed the recent Asian Cricket Council Premier Cup for Japan in Ajman, have both returned to the squad for the mega event. In that tournament, Japan defeated Maldives and Qatar by 183 runs, but a loss to Oman denied them a semi-final berth.

Among the standout performers, Nihar Parmar, who struck 156 off 132 balls against Maldives, and Kaisei Kobayashi-Doggett, who hammered 106 off 73 deliveries against Qatar, are named in the World Cup squad.